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MentorWriterSPNer

Chandigarh February 18: 26 years after Sikhs were killed in organized and systematic attacks across India, a crime scene consisting of a complete village of torched houses, burnt Gurudwara and scattered human bones was discovered at the site of village Hondh-Chillar, in District Rewari, Haryana.

In November 1984, the village was inhibited by more than 35 Sikh families and on November 02,1984 in an organized and well planned attack, the entire village was burnt along with its Sikh population and Gurudwara.

According to records of local police, an FIR was registered for the death of 20 Sikhs from Hondh-Chillar village on November 03 1984. The remains of Hondh-Chillar show that entire portion of the village where Sikhs used to live was torched including the Gurudwara. Human remains, mostly bones are scattered in the torched compounds. The Gurudwara of the village is completely burnt and is inhibited by stray animals.

It is estimated that 60 to 70 people living in the village would have died on the fateful night but the Haryana Police neither identified the 20 people killed as mentioned in FIR nor pursued the case to identify and nab the culprits. Haryana Police in fact chose to abandon the case midway.

The Sikh families of the village had come from Mianwali (now in Pakistan), during partition of the country in 1947. Such was the influence and goodwill of these families that one of their representatives Sarup Singh s/o Tirlok Singh remained a Sarpanch of the joint Panchayat of village Hondh-Chillar for 15 years. The fact proves that the Sikhs had good relations with the village people. Sarup Singh remained Sarpanch being the Sikh Community a minority in the village.

AISSF and Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) who has been assigned by Sri Akal Takht Sahib to work on the issue of November 1984 Sikh Genocide, announced that the site will be preserved as “Sikh Genocide Museum” and will serve to show the pattern of attack on Sikh localities across India during November 1984.

According to Karnail Singh Peermohammad and Davinder Singh Sodhi,, Secretary General – AISSF who visited the village alongwith Engineer Manvinder Singh Giaspur and some other Sikh leaders, said the burnt village is an irrefutable piece of evidence that in November 1984 Sikhs were subjected to genocidal attacks across India and their whole localities like village Hondh-Chillar were wiped out. The village will serve as a “sample of evidence” to show the world how Sikhs were subjected to genocidal attacks, locality after locality and village after village across India, added Peermohammad.

The team which went to the village found that on November 2, after the killing of former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi a truckload of people came at about 11 am in the village and tried to attack the families but were persuaded by village elders including the Sarpanch of the Village not to do so. However, the FIR in this case, quotes Sarpanch as saying that in the evening three truckloads of people came shouting slogans with arms and petrol etc. and burnt the entire village to ashes. Women folk were raped and then murdered. Those who tried to flee were hit and done to death.
This genocidal site and FIR was discovered by the sustained and unceasing efforts of Engineer Manvinder Singh Giaspur. Initially, Manvinder Singh contacted SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar for help in bringing this enormous Sikh Genocide evidence to the light but SGPC refused to intervene. After being disappointed from SGPC, Manvinder then contacted AISSF and SFJ to bring the Sikh Genocide site before the world.
Peermohammed announced holding of Akhand Path at the site of Gurudwara village Hondh-Chillar in the memory of innocent Sikhs who were burnt to death in village Hondh-Chillar on November 02, 1984. Bhog of the Akhand Path will be held on Sunday March 6th, 2011. AISSF and SFJ requested Giani Gurbachan Singh Akal Takht Jathedar to lead the Bhog ceremony as head of Sikh community. AISSF appealed Damdami Taksal, SGPC, Akali Dal Panch Pardhani, Khalsa Action Committee, Dal Khalsa and Sant Samaj to participate in the Bhog at village Hondh-Chillar.
Commenting on the revelation, Senior Supreme Court Advocate, H.S.Phoolka said that the case needs to be reopened. He said Punjab & Haryana High Court can order the reopening and re-probe of the case but he said as Haryana Police seems to be a party in the crime and has failed to do justice with the victims and the case itself, he will seek that the case be handed over to CBI for proper investigation.

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MentorWriterSPNer

This genocidal site and FIR was discovered by the sustained and unceasing efforts of Engineer Manvinder Singh Giaspur. Initially, Manvinder Singh contacted SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar for help in bringing this enormous Sikh Genocide evidence to the light but SGPC refused to intervene. After being disappointed from SGPC, Manvinder then contacted AISSF and SFJ to bring the Sikh Genocide site before the world.

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And, once again, we are let down by the SGPC. We need to take the preservation of the village into our own hands so it will be a remembrance for us and evidence for those who try to deny that the genocide really happened.

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MentorWriterSPNer

The fact also prove that the other village people did not come out to save the sikhs

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And this again points to the fact that we must not ever rely on others to protect us. We need to be able and willing to protect ourselves effectively - or die trying.

We are Sikhs. When in history were we dependent on others to come to our aid? And when were we ever unwilling to fight to the death?

I have no idea what kind of fight these villagers put up. I make the assumption that the Singhs fought as best they could. No doubt the Kaurs were helpless, having never been taught self-defence. I know, you're probably saying, "There goes Mai again harping on the female self-defence thing." Yes, indeed, and I will keep harping on it. A Kaur trained in combat can defend herself as effectively as a Singh. She can be even more effective in that she has the element of surprise.

1984 should have taught us that we need to be as strong and vigilant as our ancestors (spiritual and physical) in the days of the Mughals. The Mughals are still amongst us. Only the names of the groups have changed. Perhaps we should forgo some of the :interestedmunda::interestedkudi::interestedsingh:icecreamkaur and get more into some :angryyoungkaur::swordfight-kudiyan::angryyoungsingh:swordfight

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SPNer

And this again points to the fact that we must not ever rely on others to protect us. We need to be able and willing to protect ourselves effectively - or die trying.

We are Sikhs. When in history were we dependent on others to come to our aid? And when were we ever unwilling to fight to the death?

I have no idea what kind of fight these villagers put up. I make the assumption that the Singhs fought as best they could. No doubt the Kaurs were helpless, having never been taught self-defence. I know, you're probably saying, "There goes Mai again harping on the female self-defence thing." Yes, indeed, and I will keep harping on it. A Kaur trained in combat can defend herself as effectively as a Singh. She can be even more effective in that she has the element of surprise.

1984 should have taught us that we need to be as strong and vigilant as our ancestors (spiritual and physical) in the days of the Mughals. The Mughals are still amongst us. Only the names of the groups have changed. Perhaps we should forgo some of the :interestedmunda::interestedkudi::interestedsingh:icecreamkaur and get more into some :angryyoungkaur::swordfight-kudiyan::angryyoungsingh:swordfight

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Our ancestors lived in Jungles and used to live harsh lifestyle.These days Sikhs Live in rural or urban area's and are much more addicted to lavish lifestyle ,so there is no comparison between them and us.No matter what people say but strength lies in numbers which we did not have and whatever we have we are loosing it very fast

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MentorWriterSPNer

Our ancestors lived in Jungles and used to live harsh lifestyle.These days Sikhs Live in rural or urban area's and are much more addicted to lavish lifestyle ,so there is no comparison between them and us.No matter what people say but strength lies in numbers which we did not have and whatever we have we are loosing it very fast

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kds1980 ji,

I am much more optimistic than you are. I see much of the old Khalsa spirit coming to life amongst the young people, especially those in Canada and the UK. I also see a surprising amount amongst Punjabi youth. Contrary to what I read, I know there is still a solid core of Khalsa strength wherever there are Sikhs.

Strength is not necessarily in numbers. A true Khalsa can outfight many. As long as we actively hold on to who we are and what we are and what we are about, Guru ji will sustain us.

Our job is to be strong and prepared Gursikhs with the odd Gurmukh mixed in here and there.

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SPNer

I am much more optimistic than you are. I see much of the old Khalsa spirit coming to life amongst the young people, especially those in Canada and the UK. I also see a surprising amount amongst Punjabi youth. Contrary to what I read, I know there is still a solid core of Khalsa strength wherever there are Sikhs.

Strength is not necessarily in numbers. A true Khalsa can outfight many. As long as we actively hold on to who we are and what we are and what we are about, Guru ji will sustain us.

Our job is to be strong and prepared Gursikhs with the odd Gurmukh mixed in here and there.

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I am afraid mai ji real accounts tell us different stories.Muslims started attacking sikhs in west Punjab and Sikhs continued to suffer for 8 months and
have to abandon their precious land in 46-47.They did tried to defend themselves but they were not successful .Similarly in 84 it was the aggressors who were successful against the sikhs.Living in world,s best countries ,talking about Khalsa spirit is very easy but real test come on ground level in third world countries like India

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ੴ / Ik▫oaŉkār

I am afraid mai ji real accounts tell us different stories.Muslims started attacking sikhs in west Punjab and Sikhs continued to suffer for 8 months and
have to abandon their precious land in 46-47.They did tried to defend themselves but they were not successful .Similarly in 84 it was the aggressors who were successful against the sikhs.Living in world,s best countries ,talking about Khalsa spirit is very easy but real test come on ground level in third world countries like India

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kds1980 ji I believe Mai Harinder Kaur ji was on the ground level in 1984 and lost loved ones. Try re-reading her posts.

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MentorWriterSPNer

If a community and Sikhs don't wake up now there may not be future generations to speak of in past the immediate one two, three generations!

Sat Sri Akal.

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Sat Sri Akal.

Ambarsaria ji and kds ji,

Don't forget that I was in Amritsar during the Bluestar Massacre, although by Guru ji's kirpaa, I was not in Darbar Sahib during the attack, and that 8 members of my family, including my husband and son, were killed in the the Delhi Pogrom/Genocide.

I actually saw many of the things in these pictures with my own eyes. They will never be forgotten.

Above is my artist's impression of the sarovar in June 1984.

If anyone had cause to be dispirited and pessimistic, it would be someone in my position.

But I am not. I am optimistic for the future. Please catch some of the chardi kala spirit that has always characterised us Sikhs. I'm not Pollyanna. It will not be easy, but we will do the needful and we'll go on and on and on...

First we need to know that it is possible. Then we need to act on that.

Our shaheeds and all who have ever died or been persecuted for being Sikh have not suffered in vain. We cannot and will not let that happen.

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SPNer

kds1980 ji I believe Mai Harinder Kaur ji was on the ground level in 1984 and lost loved ones. Try re-reading her posts.

She is not referring to 46-47 for the village picture.

Sat Sri Akal.

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I know about her and I was not refering to her.My post was directed to her comment where she said that there are many Enthusiastic Youths in Canada and UK.If sikhism really had/have such type of youths then why don't these people come to India to Fight for injustice and other mess in Sikhism.Is it because they don't want to leave their white collar jobs and lifestyle which almost every thirld world citizen dream of .

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ੴ / Ik▫oaŉkār

I know about her and I was not refering to her.My post was directed to her comment where she said that there are many Enthusiastic Youths in Canada and UK.If sikhism really had/have such type of youths then why don't these people come to India to Fight for injustice and other mess in Sikhism.Is it because they don't want to leave their white collar jobs and lifestyle which almost every thirld world citizen dream of .

There is such a great shame that our community cannot even stand up for our rights without being branded from insiders and outsiders as some Homeland seekers or militants. Right away it is labeled by others (and like your post) as some outside (I know there are opportunists in every community but stop painting everyone with the same) vagabonds creating trouble who will only learn their lesson when they come to India. Encourage people to take constructive steps unless your assessment is that Sikhs are on teh up and up in Punjab and India and no body dare say anything different from that. From the tone of your post, I am sorry your interpretation of a secular, democratic republic of India needs lot to be desired.

I am no Khalistani nationhood person (I personally believe, it was too late in 1984 and it is too late now as the time to do so was pre 1947) now or was before but the attack on Golden Temple in 1984 hurt me like many others. The rationale and the reason were so flimsy and the desecration so great that only a blind person would not see that it was way out of proportion for managing the situation at hand. A less than two miles/3.2 kilometre area in the heart of Amritsar needed to be attacked to manage the escape or spread of persons from the inside and outside (perhaps in 100s or even if in 1000s). This is as disgusting logic as any that I could listen to then or now.

Why people have to come to India to preserve their religion? Nobody gives you self-respect, you earn it and continue to work to keep it.

Could you at least support the following or you subscribe to the notion Sikhs are responsible for the Genocide in Delhi and other places (as this thread) while the Government in-charge did everything they could to protect a minority Sikh population?

petition link removed by spnadmin

If we continue to forget history, the future Sikh generations of your and others children will become assimilated in Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan.

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SPNer

Why people have to come to India to preserve their religion? Nobody gives you self-respect, you earn it and continue to work to keep it.

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Ambarsaria ji

I don't understand why are you asking these questions to me.Nowhere i said that Sikhs are responsible for 1984.My post simply said that barring few exceptions these days Sikhism don't have Youths whether in India, or abroad Which could give or dedicate their lives to Fight for justice or for the cause of Sikhism,so comparing today's Sikhs with puratan Sikhs is not O.K .

As far your question about coming to India is concerned ,the fact is majority of Sikh population lives in India.Our history ,Gurdwara's everything is in India.If people are concerned about the future of sikhism or with the Sikhs then they should come to India to do work for sikhism at ground level O/W they are just common person like me or the 99.99% Sikhs .

Let me give you an example H.S phulka Ji's wife was offered a job in USA in 1990 but she declined that offer ,She supported her husband in the cause of fighting for justice and both decided to stay in India and fought for justice .Had he or his wife too decide to leave India then there will be nobody left to fight for justice.imagine if we have many more phulka's and her wife's type people who put the interest of community ahead of their own interest then Sikhs could had sureshot got the justice

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1947-2014 (Archived)

There seems to be some action now at the top level of Punjab government. As of this morning.

SAD Chief Sukhbir Badal set up panel to probe massacre of Sikhs in Haryana village

Punjab Newsline Network
Saturday, 19 February 2011
CHANDIGARH : Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal has constituted a high power 7 member fact finding committee to get the first hand information on massacre of over 60 sikhs in village Hond Chiller of Rewari district of Haryana and role played by the different governments in suppressing this issue.

In a statement issued from the party headoffice here Saturday party Secretary and Spokesman Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema said that SAD President has taken serious notice of this issue and constituted this fact finding committee to probe the matter. He said that committee would be headed by party General Secretary and Member Parliament Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Former SGPC President Bibi Jagir Kaur, Prominent lawyer and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Harish Rai Dhanda, former PPSC member Amarjit Singh Chawla and Dr. Harjinder Singh Jakhu from Punjab and S. Joginder Singh Aherwan and Raghujit Singh Virk from Haryana are among other members of the committe. He said that this committee would present its report within 15 days to the party President.

Dr. Cheema said that horrifying incident of Hond chiller has shocked the whole mankind and it was shocking that how different investigation agencies and successive governments suppressed this incident for such a long time. He said that such heinous efforts to suppress the issue were part of a deliberate plan against the Sikhs .

He said that party was fully committed to get justice for the victims of this incident and punishment for guilty.

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ੴ / Ik▫oaŉkār

kds1980 ji I am sorry if I was trying to ask or treating you harshly in my questions. I appreciate your later post that has clarified things as the tone in the first one really stank for me (may be I am sensitive to some of the lines used or feel bad for what happened to Mai Harinder Kaur ji's family).

Can you please address the following in my post in specific terms,

petition link removed by spnadmin

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The reason for so asking is that if every Internet aware Sikh signed up the world and Indian Government will have to take notice now (unlikely) or sometimes in the future.

With millions of petitioners let them call and persecute everyone of the petitioners as a terrorist.

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SPNer

Back to topic what surprises me the most is that no Indian news channel have shown this news.This shows how media is just a puppet of rich and powerful.News channels are just money making industry and they just care about news where they find profit

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SPN Sewadaar

And this again points to the fact that we must not ever rely on others to protect us. We need to be able and willing to protect ourselves effectively - or die trying.

We are Sikhs. When in history were we dependent on others to come to our aid? And when were we ever unwilling to fight to the death?

I have no idea what kind of fight these villagers put up. I make the assumption that the Singhs fought as best they could. No doubt the Kaurs were helpless, having never been taught self-defence. I know, you're probably saying, "There goes Mai again harping on the female self-defence thing." Yes, indeed, and I will keep harping on it. A Kaur trained in combat can defend herself as effectively as a Singh. She can be even more effective in that she has the element of surprise.

1984 should have taught us that we need to be as strong and vigilant as our ancestors (spiritual and physical) in the days of the Mughals. The Mughals are still amongst us. Only the names of the groups have changed. Perhaps we should forgo some of the :interestedmunda::interestedkudi::interestedsingh:icecreamkaur and get more into some :angryyoungkaur::swordfight-kudiyan::angryyoungsingh:swordfight

Click to expand...

I thought on such depressing thread I would post some images of our fighting Kaurs!!

Claiming to be a resident of Hondh village in Haryana that is in news these days after it came to light that several Sikh families were allegedly killed in anti-Sikh riots there in 1984, 70-year-old Uttam Singh narrated the November 2, 1984, attack here on Sunday.

Now settled in Bathinda and into a business of clothes, Uttam Singh said he had to take a sleeping pill on Saturday after a news item aired on a TV channel highlighted the attack on Sikhs refreshed his wounds all these years later.

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar is likely to meet him on Monday.

The Punjab government has constituted a fact finding committee with Akali leader Balwinder Singh Bhunder as its chairman to look into the alleged massacre, brought to light by the All India Sikh Students’ Federation a couple of days ago.

“I had managed to get over the pain and trauma. But after watching the story on a news channel, the bad memories are back to haunt me. I had to take a sleeping pill yesterday, as my mind could not help but recall what happened on the fateful day,” Uttam said here on Sunday, recounting the “attack by a mob” on the village inhabited by Sikhs.

“My uncle Takht Singh and cousin Harnam Singh’s wife Amrit were burnt alive in front of our eyes,” said Uttam, a Pakistan-born Sikh who moved to India after Partition.

“The mob entered the village at 11 am and first targeted one Gulab Singh’s family, killing 10 members. Next was Sardar Singh’s family and seven members were killed. The mob then went to Gurdial Singh’s home. The 12 members of his family, including children, had locked themselves in a room, but as the mob heard a child cry, they set the room on fire from outside and all those inside, sitting on a heap of wheat, were burnt alive,” said Uttam, adding that the miscreants were using diesel from the tractors of villagers to set houses on fire.

“We moved from one place to other in our house to save our lives. Many of our family members were injured in the process. We managed to get to a portion of the house that had an iron grill. They mob scaled the roof of another room and started pelting us with stones. We started hurling stones back to them. After some time, there was an explosion in a tractor fuel tank. And a rumour spread that Sikhs had bombs with them. The assailants then left the village,” Uttam claimed, adding that the survivors left the village at midnight in search of safer places.

He said he first tried to settle in Hoshiarpur but all his business ventures failed there, after which he moved to Bathinda about 25 years ago. He said as many as 10 families who survived the attack had been living in Bathinda and Ludhiana, while a few others were staying in Chandigarh, Panipat and Delhi.

Uttam also spoke to SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar on Sunday. Makkar said he would come to Bathinda on Monday to personally meet Uttam. “About five families from Ludhiana who claimed to be hailing from Hondh village have also approached me. I am meeting them, too, on Monday,” he added.

Chandigarh, Feb 21 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Monday sought a report from the Gurgaon district administration on the allegations of Sikhs being massacred in a village 26 years ago and the reported discovery of a mass grave.

Hooda told reporters that he had asked the Gurgaon divisional commissioner to send a report on this matter.

Sikh organizations in neighbouring Punjab and other places have sought a thorough investigation into allegations that several Sikhs were targeted and killed by mobs in Hondh-Chillar village of Haryana, 350 km from here, Nov 2, 1984 during the anti-Sikh riots in the aftermath of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards in New Delhi.

While the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the mini-parliament of Sikh religion, sought an investigation into the matter and dispatched a panel to look into the matter, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab had also Saturday announced the setting up of a seven-member fact-finding committee.

Akali Dal president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said the panel would be headed by MP Balwinder Singh Bhunder and will include former SGPC president Jagir Kaur and five others.

The committee has been asked to submit its report within 15 days after visiting the village.

Akali Dal secretary D.S. Cheema said the party's fact-finding team will also investigate how different governments and authorities had been able to supress the killing of so many Sikhs in Hond-Chillar village.

The All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) had announced that it will preserve the site as a 'Sikh genocide memorial' following the reported discovery of a mass grave in the village.

AISSF president Karnail Singh Peermohammad told IANS that the party and the United States-based Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) had declared to preserve village Hondh-Chillar as 'Sikh Genocide Memorial' site and appealed to the Sikh community to reach village March 6. Both organizations have planned a march to the village on that day.

He said the mass grave had been discovered 26 years after the incident of anti-Sikh riots in which Sikh families in the village were targetted and their homes and gurdwara (Sikh temple) were burnt.

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HERE & NOW by I.J. Singh: I had recently posted an essay on heaven, hell and related issues; my goal was to focus attention on how, according to Sikhi, life is or should be lived. This column today, like part of a serial, continues the exploration. Most religions expend volumes and pages on...

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